1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to equipment for emptying containers, and more particularly to vehicle-carried equipment for emptying garbage containers into the collection tank of a garbage truck.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed under 37 CRF .sctn.1.97-1.99
Prior garbage trucks adapted for facilitating the handling of heavy, filled containers have a pour-in utility or device which is provided with lifting/tilting functions that include a tilting mechanism which is mounted, directly or via intermediate members on a fixed support or framework that is located at the pour-in opening or pour-in rim. The pour-in utility has coupling means or fittings engageable with the containers to be emptied, as well as powered drive members connected to said fittings and supported directly or via the intermediate members on the fixed support. Such pour-in utilities further include force transducers of a container-weighing device which is equipped with display and/or registering instruments.
A prior utility of this type, disclosed in German Patent Application Publication No. 33 32 058 is equipped with a weighing device which is included in the lifting/tilting or tilting mechanism and with which the garbage containers can be weighed prior to and also after the emptying. The weighing result, together with the simultaneous, automatic identification of each container, is to be utilized for the determination of how much container content weight has been emptied from the container so as to be able, in the example of garbage removal, to calculate the fees that are payable by the amount of weight of the garbage to be transported away.
In the garbage can emptying device disclosed in German Patent Application Publication No. 34 47 648 a weighing device is installed in the coupling means or fittings located at the lifting/tilting or tilting mechanism. In this known device, too, the weighing of the container to be emptied and the weighing of the emptied container can be accomplished only in the raised, at rest position.
However, the necessary stopping of the lifting motion and the lowering motion of the container, heretofore essential for the weighing operation, entails the drawback that a quite considerable time loss must be tolerated in the emptying operation on the one hand, while on the other hand the stopping of the lifting or lowering motion and the restarting of the lifting or lowering motion can cause the containers to experience considerable vibrations, these also being experienced by the emptying mechanism. Such vibrations effect a more rapid, undesirable wear. In addition, the stopping and restarting motions also increase considerably the energy requirements for the emptying operation.